Rethresher attachment for threshers



Patented Feb. 2, 1943 fossi-ce RE-THRESHER ATTOI-IlI/IENT FOR Y THRESHERS i MeureaMakin, ontaribreg. f Application May 29, 194'1',"'Serial4 No.`f'395,8`90

3 Claims.

' 4This'invention relates generally to the class of harvesting machines and pertains particularly vtoamechanism by which a rethreshng of portions .of a harvested crop may be eiected.

In threshing machines, a means is provided for f returning to the concave Iand cylinder, tailings .for re-threshing with a view to salvaging grain which may have passed unthreashed through the machine. This mechanism is not alwayseilective in saving all of the grain which may have .passed .unthreashed through the machine and vsuchgrainmay continue to go through with the other tailings indenitely. Furthermore, the ordinary re-threshing mechanism of harvesters is .unsuitable for handlingfdarnp seeds.

f The'present invention has for its primary 0bject to provide a re-thres'hing mechanism which may be applied to any standard harvestingmachine, which not only provides an effective means for re-threshing seed which mayhave passed through with the tailings from the rst threshiing operation, but also provides a mechanism fwhichiis particularly effective for harvesting 'damp'seed standard .threshing machine which is coupled with thetrough or tube ofthe tailings auger and f which may be put into use as desired, to vreceive tailings which would ordinarily be carried Vby rtheauger'to the 'drag chain for return to the beater cylinder, such tailings being carried Athrough a special beater -and blower forming a -part ofthe vpresent mechanism where the seed is effectively Vre-threshed and delivered under a` blast of air to either thedraper or the cylinder, where the chai will be carried out in the customary manner and the seed will be `collected inthe seed pan.

:The invention will be best understood from'a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it being understood, however, that the invention is not to be considered as limited 'by the specic illustration or description butthat such illustration and description constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention.

rInthe drawings:

QFig. 1 is a view illustrating conventionally in side elevation the rear endportion of a thresher showing the location thereon `of the present rethresher mechanism `with respect tothe tailings returnzmechanism of the machine.

y'Another object of the invention is to provide 25 l-a re-.thresher mechanism for attachment to a -on th'eline 2--2 '\of Fig. -A1,'with portions of the structure`ishownfin`-elevation` i 'Figi-3 is a sectional view on lthe line 3-3 of -l'il'f-IZ.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on Fig-3. n y

lFigjis a'lviewpartlyin side elevation and partly Iinesectionjof' the beater blower unit.

lFigrlifis' a sectional view on thejline- E-B of `Fg."5.

Referring now more=particularly to the drawingsjthenurneral-I generally designates the body portion of a harvestingma'chine at the rear end the line 4-11 of voi' which isA Ashown the lusual windstacker fan =whichis-connecte`d with'the stacker pipe u3 by which 'chai and lstrawis deposited outside of the machine. The pipe ishereshown as turned in -overthe machine in inoperative position.

'The 4numeralll"designates the tailings elevator 'which receives *tailingsifrom the tailings trough =5,y in`which1is located -an auger-6 which carries l'the tailingsto theA endless chain mechanism l which formsa--part-of thetailings elevator to re- 4turn-the sameinto thethreshing machine to the cylinder. v '"Theldriving Vbelt for the stacker fan is indicatedibytthenumeraltii,'the'same being extended -aroundthegpulley 9 and passing over an idler pulley "HL This :belt is vemployed as hereinafter described, ufor the'operation of the beater blower 'unit'of the=present"improvement. l

In accordance with the present' invention, the auger 'trough t5 vis provided adjacent the dis- `charge-end' with the outlet openings Il, each of `-whithis vdesigned 'to'be closed by a sliding gate 12. f-Beneathvthe'trough 5 there is mounted a receptacle I3 which, as shown in Fig. 4, is subs'tantiallyV-shaped in cross-section and is secured atilthetopfedges of the sides thereof to the t-wall-o'f "the auger ftrough' 5, the side walls of the `receptaclejex-tending over the outlets II, so that 'when 1the gatesIZ are'opened, the tailings Will be discharged from ytheI auger trough into the receptacle. V'IhefgateswlZ are of sufficient length to `extend beyondone end of the receptacle I3, so "thatfthey'may bereadily reached to be shifted to opened or closed position. The ends of the troughare closed bythe walls I4 and I5, the wall I5 having extending integrally therefrom the outlet `nozzlelliywhile the'vvall I4 is `provided witlran'a'ir'inlet opening I1, the bottom of which isfflush-with the bottom of the receptacle.

Secured tothe under side of-the auger trough 5 ian'dfv extendingr downwardly' into4 the receptacle -v`Fig. 2;;is a sectional viewtaken. substantially 55 -there'frm are..1;he;downward1y divergingbafe bracket and extends to the outer side of the harvester machine where it carries a pulley 25. I

The drive belt 8 is passed around this pulley 25, as shown in Fig. 1, so that suitable rotary power may be applied to shaft 23 to produce a desired blast of air which is delivered from the unitl housing 22 through the tangential outlet 2B.

The inlet for the housing 22 is axial, as shown in Fig. 6, and is indicated bythe numeral 21. Secured to the side of the housing over this inlet 21 is onerend of a pipe 28 which has its other end connected to the discharge nipple I6 ofthe receptacle I3. l

The upper half of the inner peripheral wall portion of the housing 22 is provided with a number o f circumferentially directed ribs 29 while the lower half of the inner wall of the housing has secured thereto the radially inwardly directed teeth 30 which are arranged in rows extending in a circumferential direction and corresponding in position with the ribs 29. 4

Upon the shaft 23 within the housing22, a series of radially directed arms 3| is secured, each of which carries a fan and beater paddle 32. These paddles conform in contour along their outwardly directed edges substantially with the interior transverse curvature of the housing wall and such edges are provided with recesses 33 to receive the rows of teeth and the ribs 29, thereby forming spaced paddle teeth 34 which work between the ribs and the teeth 30.

The outlet 26 of the housing isV connected with a seed return pipe 35 which extends rearwardly.

and upwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, and then forwardly to terminate in the downwardly directed nozzle 36 which is introduced into the body of the threshing machine through the top thereof so as to discharge either just behind the beater or draper or it may be arranged to discharge directly onto the cylinder.

-From the foregoing, it is believed that it will be readily apparent that in the operation of the present re-threshing attachment, when the gates I2 are opened to permit unthreshed seed to discharge from the tailings trough into the receptacle I3, such seed will be drawn by the beaterblower unit 2I into the housing 22 where the seed will be subjected to threshing action betweenthe teeth of the fan blades and the teeth and ribs 30 and 29, respectively, with which the blades cooperate. The seed will then be discharged into the pipe 35 together with chaff, where they will be returned into the threshing machine either behind the beater or onto the cylinder, as may be desired, according to the location in which the nozzle 36 is placed. The present attachment is designed for any kind of crop harvester and the blower return for the re-threshed seed may be vested, the return nozzle 36 will be located so that such seed will be delivered back onto the thresher beater cylinder.

Ordinarily, the trouble encountered in connection with the threshing of damp clover and alfalfa seed is in recovering a satisfactory percentage of unthreshed seed. 'I'his is practically impossible with the present machines. With this attachment from 50 to 75% of the original loss of clover and alfalfa seed will be recovered.

Thev present device also reduces the cost of threshing seed in that it recovers the bulk of the seed which first passes through the machine with g the tailings, in one operation, whereas other equipment necessitates the returning of the unthreshed seed through the complete mechanism of the thresher several times before the husk of the seed is finally removed. It also permits the straw to remain coarser, making it less difllcult to separate seed from straw, resulting in a saving of power because of the fact that the blower of the attachment develops a wind velocity of Vfrom to 185 miles per hour and, therefore,

makes itrpossible to operate the concave with fewer teeth than are at present used.

What is claimed is: 1..In a threshing machine having a tailings receiving trough, a receptacle disposed beneath said trough, a gate controlled discharge opening leading from the trough into the receptacle, a combined beater and blower unit including a housing having an inlet andan outlet, a pipe connecting said inlet with said receptacle, a pipe connected with said outlet and leading therefrom through the top of the thresher for the return of the re-threshed seed thereinto in the vicinity of the cylinder and beater, said thresher and blower unit further including toothed fan blades, and teeth carried by the wall of the housing within the same and coacting with theteeth of said blades for beating the seed.`

2. In a threshing machine having a tailings trough, an elongated receptacle mounted beneath said tailings trough, means for controlling the discharge of seed from the trough into the receptacle, said receptacle having an air inlet at one end and a discharge nozzle at the other end, a beater blower unit comprising a circular housing, blower blades rotatably supported within the housing, said housing having an axial inlet opening and a tangential discharge, a pipe connecting said inlet opening of the housing with the outlet of the receptacle, a pipe connecting the discharge of the housing with and delivering threshed seed through the top of the threshing machine in the vicinity of the beater and cylinder, said blades having teeth in opposed relation with the peripheral wall of the housing, and means within the housing upon said peripheral wall which engage between said teeth upon rotation of the blades for beating the grain drawn into the housing.

3. In a threshing machine having a tailings trough, an elongated repectacle mounted beneath said tailings trough, means for controlling the discharge of seed from the trough into the receptacle, said receptacle having an air inlet at one end and a discharge nozzle at the other end, a beater blower unit comprising a circular housing, blower blades rotatably supported within the housing, said housing having an axial inlet opening and a tangential discharge, a pipe connecting said inlet opening of the housing with the outlet of the receptacle, a pipe connecting the discharge of the housing with and delivering and a plurality of rows of vteeth disposed Within the housing upon the inner wall thereof and in the opposite half of the housing from the ribs to engage between said blade teeth to cooperate 5 therewith in threshing the grain.

MELFRED MAKIN. 

